Copyright & Content Litigation

Copyrights and content face increasing threats in an age of digital transmission and electronic transfer where unauthorized copying occurs at unprecedented speeds and volumes. Alston & Bird attorneys have deep experience protecting copyrights, including litigation under the Copyright Act to enjoin infringing uses, defense of infringement claims and actions to declare title to disputed works. This experience extends to disputes over copyrights for patterns and designs, photos, literary properties, technical documents, software, graphic novels, films and a wide array of other original works in industries as diverse as theatrical entertainment, industrial turbine design, and theoretical mathematics.

Our attorneys also help devise content protection strategies for companies facing threats of unauthorized Internet distribution of copyrighted works and are familiar with enforcement activities under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, including "take down" procedures against Internet Service Providers and actions against content infringers. The firm's copyright expertise extends to civil and criminal anti-piracy strategies to combat unauthorized domestic and international distribution of copyrighted properties, including seizure activities with the aid of U.S. Marshalls.

Original expressions protected under the Copyright Act continue to represent key intellectual property assets for both emerging enterprises with company-defining copyrights and mature businesses with large copyright portfolios. Alston & Bird attorneys are a key resource to guide clients in the protection of these IP assets from infringing uses in an increasingly complicated business environment where new threats evolve and new content protection strategies are needed.